Tag Archives: Ethel and Cheryl

“Hi, Cheryl, instead of mass this week I want to go to a Jewish church, because of what happened in California.”
“I think they are called synagogues, Ethel, or temples.”
“No, temples are the Mormons, you like their singing.”
“Love the choir, Ethel, but I’m pretty sure the Jews go to temple too.”
“I guess I can look in the phone book for a Jewish church.”
“Oh for God’s sake. They are called Synagogues or Temples!!! Google it.”
“I’m going to ask Rochelle, she’s super Jewish and writes books.”
“I think it would be nice to go, let me know.”

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When I first saw the FridayFictioneers prompt photo by Roger Bultot I thought of having the girls go to church, then I saw the Star in the window. You may know Ethel’s friend Rochelle, she’s written some books.

“Hi Cheryl, guess what?”
“Okay, what?”
“I’m taking the vow of silence!”
“You’re becoming a nun?”
“No, silly, I’m not going to talk for a day.”
“Wow, that’s one big vow of silence, Ethel. I’m afraid to ask, what prompted this?”
“You remember my interest in meditation?”
“Right, Betty got you onto that. It still bugs me that you won’t tell me your mantra.”
“The Maharishi says ‘to speak your mantra aloud is like pulling a plant from its roots’.”
“Oh boy.”
“A vow of silence is another form of meditation.”
“Well Ethel, it will be a sweet twenty-four hours.

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Another 100 Words with the girls. This time for Sunday Writing “It’s all in the title.” by Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. They asked for a poem or story using one of the 10 titles they offered. I chose ‘The Virtue of Silence”

“But, Cheryl, paint? I complained to the painters, but they wouldn’t listen.”

“For crying out loud, Ethel, that’s not who you talk too.”

“I was told ‘time marches on, lady’, so rude! It’ll be ugly.”

“How ’bout getting a window shade?”

“I should have called Betty! Good-bye!!!”

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Loved this week’s photo prompt, by Roger Bulltot, of the Renwick Ruins on Roosevelt Island. Originally a smallpox hospital built in 1856 and claimed to be the most haunted spot in NYC. You can read such a story right here… Tour Guide at Roosevelt Island.

(I trimmed Roger’s photo a bit since brownstones in Chicago don’t have lawns that large)

‘What is taking her so damn long?’, thought Ethyl. She had to pee and was dying for a cigarette, having just taken up smoking recently. “Cheryl, hurry up!!!”

“Hold your horses, Ethel.”

Ethel was tired of holding her horses. And there it was again, those tones, very faint, so familiar. Just then it dawned on Ethel. “Dammit, Cheryl, I know what you’re doing. You are sitting there playing Trivia Crack on your phone with Frances while I have to pee!!!”

THEY WRITE ON FRIDAYS… a Drabble x Four for FriFic

On the Northside of Chicago, a call button is pushed…

“Ethel, lemme in.”

*********“Those stairs are going to kill me. What you want to show me?”“Check this out, Cheryl; I’m writing a story!”“What the hell is this photo?”“It’s my writing prompt for Friday Fictioneers. I’m going to be an author!”“Oh spare me. Is this before the oil painting, the pottery, or the garden?”“No, I’m serious this time.”“You are always serious, Ethel, you just find something new the next day. Okay, what’s with this Friday fiction thing?”“A writing group that writes on Friday’s. A lady named Rochelle runs it, and she’s written a bunch of books. Look, here’s all the people and their stories this week.”“Hmmm… if they write on Friday, how come there’s 56 stories, it’s Thursday? Besides, they look like a bunch of weirdos to me, look at that guy with the clown nose, number 53 looks cute, though. What do you want me to do?”“Help me think of a story, Cheryl. I thought this would be easy, but I don’t see any story in this photo.”“Quit whining, Ethel. I see a prison in this photo. Do you think Peter Abbey was in prison?”“Who?”“Peter Abbey, the guy Rochelle got the picture from. I swear you don’t pay attention to anything, Ethel. Write a story about a prison. How long does it have to be?”“100 words, no more no less. I hear she’s pretty strict!”“How in hell you supposed to write a story in 100 words? Maybe we better read a couple stories.”

**********“I have to admit, Ethel, some of those are pretty good. Just steal an idea from one of them.”“I can’t do that if I’m going to be a real writer, Cheryl, they have to be my words. Besides, they might catch on and then I’d get in trouble.”“Oooooh, what kick you out of being a Friday Writer?”“It’s Friday Fictioneers because we write fiction!”“And you write on Friday; I get it. Okay, let’s write a prison story. One for women and there’s lots of cat fights.”“Good, and mean guards! Someone gets a shiv in this walkway and there’s blood all over.”“I like that, better start writing this down. I’ll help you.”“I’m excited, Cheryl, maybe I’ll be a famous author someday.”“Don’t you mean, We, Ethel?”

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I have always written exactly 100-word stories… no more no less… and as Ethel says, ‘I hear she’s pretty strict!’ and I have never wanted to get on that little ball of fire’s bad side. But, since this is Rochelle’s fourth year heading up Friday Fictioneers, I thought I’d write 400 words… a Drabble a Year. I asked the girls to help; I wonder if they can figure out how to work the frog thing. Thanks to Peter Abbey for the photo prompt.

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